NIC board to meet Wednesday

COEUR d’ALENE — North Idaho College trustees are expected to hire legal counsel Wednesday.

The board is expected to meet in an executive session at 5 p.m. in the Driftwood Bay Room of the Edminster Student Union Building on NIC’s main campus. The public session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Lake Coeur d’Alene Room upstairs.

The meeting agenda cites two subsections of Idaho law that allow for closed meetings of a public body — one related to personnel matters and one related to communicating with legal counsel.

Beyond that, it’s unknown why the board will convene in executive session. But they are expected to “approve items as needed” based on “new business arising out of executive session,” according to the agenda.

Trustees will take up the previously tabled matter of NIC’s legal counsel. The college’s former attorney resigned effective Aug. 15, apparently leaving NIC without legal representation.

In June, the board put off a decision about new legal counsel after a failed 2-2 vote to hire Spokane-based firm Stevens Clay.

One of the other applicants, attorney D. Colton Boyles, has since been hired to represent the Community Library Network.

This is the first meeting since the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities announced that NIC will retain accreditation for the time being. The college continues to operate under a show cause sanction.

Also on the agenda is an action item involving acknowledgment of the NWCCU’s July decision and resolving to address its contents to maintain accreditation.

Public comment will be accepted from those who attend the meeting in person and may end at any time after 30 minutes. Comments are limited to two minutes per person and must address a topic on the agenda.

Find the full agenda, meeting materials and Zoom link at www.nic.edu/board.